


The Stars Shine Down

by B_Radley



Series: The Laughing Beskad [16]
Category: Star Wars: Rebellion Era - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Grief/Mourning, Love, Memory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-13
Updated: 2017-11-13
Packaged: 2019-02-01 17:58:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12710031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/B_Radley/pseuds/B_Radley
Summary: Ahsoka Tano and her warrior remember another.





	The Stars Shine Down

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SLWalker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SLWalker/gifts).
  * Inspired by [The Farm: In the Space from Eve 'til Morn](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10752717) by [B_Radley](https://archiveofourown.org/users/B_Radley/pseuds/B_Radley). 
  * Inspired by [The Farm: The Night is Far Spent](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10732359) by [B_Radley](https://archiveofourown.org/users/B_Radley/pseuds/B_Radley). 



> From a prompt by SL Walker

Ahsoka lays against her hunt-brother, his warmth seeping into the skin of her back. She feels the smile against her twitching rear lek. She pulls the fur blanket tighter around their drying bodies.

Her eyes adjust to the low artificial light. Only the low candles in the barn and the stars light the beautiful landscape. The night is silent except for an occasional animal sound.

That and low laughter coming from those left behind in the steaming tub. She turns around and kisses him deeply.

As she breaks away, her eyes turn to the small stone and low mound of dirt, just visible under the myriad of stars.

Her preternatural vision can just make out the symbols on the stone. Symbols interlocked with each other. Symbols of powerful Houses on three worlds. One, an ancient world of gamblers, pilots, and engineers.

The other two, rugged worlds of pure warriors, leavened with artists. One a world blasted away except for domed enclaves—including one of thousands of acres of farm and forest land—the last of its kind. The original seat of the True _Mand’alor_ , the ancient title of the ruler of that world and its sector.

A place where the man that she lays against had met the young woman lying beneath the stone. When both were broken from one’s losses or from the darkness of the other’s past.

Her eyes fix on the crest of the Wrens. The rulers of a rugged, frigid world on the outskirts of Mandalorian space.

A world now considered as Mandalorian as _Mand’ayim._

“Did you ever go to her world? To Krownest?” she asks. She feels the vibration of the beginning of his reply in her lekku and montrals.

“Yeah,” he says. “Twice. Once to ask for her hand in marriage from the leader of the clan, her sister. The second to try to convince the Wrens to leave Stornan.”

She knows that he feels her breath catch at the mention of that world. “I know you succeeded,” she says quietly. “I came as close to dying on that world as anywhere else.”

“I heard, Runt,” he says. He reaches down and touches a small scar on her right forearm.

She closes her eyes at the sensations as he traces the white markings there. Markings different after the spillover from her lightsabers deflecting the turbolaser bolts of an Imperial light cruiser.

Markings different from when he first touched them as a lover.

“So, how did that go for you, Runt? I thought that they covered that in Rebel school. Of course, you have always had _themiar_ syndrome.”

There is a muffled explosion of breath as her elbow finds his side, followed by several moments of laughter from both of them. As they catch their breath, they realize that the voices have silenced from the barn. As the tub-mates listen for louder, more sustained noises.

“They’re just waiting to hear if you are going to start moaning, Bait, so they won’t be so self-conscious when they start up.”

“I don’t think they care that much.”

As if on cue, low sounds and whispers of a different sort start up.

They both relax as the low noises blend quietly in the night.

“Tell me about Krownest. About your in-laws. Other than the one that nearly killed you,” she says.

“Well, most of them are spread out across the galaxy, or dead. Ursa still rules the Clan, but she is hanging on. Trying to appease the Saxons to keep her rule.”

“What is she like?”

She feels his smile again. She closes her eyes at the sensation. “She is very strong. Capable. A fierce warrior. I saw her slit one of her followers’ throat because he threatened guests in her name. Plus he pointed weapons at her daughter, who just wanted to protect her uncle.”

Ahsoka closes her eyes, watching the scene play out in her mind. “She has a daughter?”

“Yeah. Sabine. She’ll be a heartbreaker and a lifetaker. She is a talented artist, even as young as she is. Ursa has an younger boy, but I don’t know him as well.”

She feels him grow quiet. “Ursa married an artist. She was the Wren—the more powerful, so Alric took her name.” He smiles tightly. “Like my grandfather did when he married the _Mand’alor._ The one before Satine’s father.” He is silent for a moment.

“I actually saw them on Mandalore, just before Nola was shot. They helped me with getting Mandal Motors to come into the deal with Corellia and Alderaan.”

“They must really love you,” Ahsoka says.

“I don’t know about that. Ursa and I have a complicated relationship. She knew that J’oh loved me, and appreciated that I loved her, but they all know they may have to face me on the battlefield some day.”

Ahsoka looks down, her eyes closing at that possibility. Of memories when she might have faced J’oh on another snowy world. When she was younger and trying to save herself and an innocent from her and others of her kind.

_Okay. Maybe Lux wasn’t so innocent in that case. Artoo was._

She feels his teeth play over her right and center lekku. Her heart flips as lips and tongue play over the very slight hint of bare orange skin between them, where they join her skull.

“I know what you are thinking, _cyar’ika_ ,” he says softly. “You forget. I knew you both. I know what your inspiration when you fought Vizla meant to her. You changed her life. If she was being really honest, you saved it.”

She feels the slight moisture on the back of her head.

“It is kind of a circle,” he continues. “You saved her for me when I thought you were dead. She saved me.”

 _But I wasn’t able to save her,_ comes unbidden thoughts from both of them. Reflected in their closeness.

She feels a smirk grow over his features against her as the moment passes. “Of course, she was the first one to tell me of the growing number of Death Watch assholes you decapitated with one stroke. What is it, up to a dozen, now?”

Another grunt is heard as her other elbow intersects with his ribs.

Ahsoka grows serious. “Bait, what would’ve happen if you had found me and she was still alive?” She steels herself for his answer.

He is silent. She curses herself for asking the question. She wishes she could take it back.

She feels the smile again. “I don’t know, Runt. She knew what you meant to me, but she wouldn’t just surrender me. We did actually discuss it one night. She said that she felt like she could love both of us, just from how I talked about you. How she let me talk about you. What she saw of you on Carlacc.”

She nods. “I kind of got that feeling, when I was looking for you and deep in the Force. Something—.” She takes a deep breath. “Something of her told me that she and Shak would’ve shared your heart with me.”

She turns around. Their tears mingle as they try to take each other’s breath away. She senses light growing behind her. He gently pushes her back around.

“This is why this was her favorite spot on the farm,” he whispers.

Two of Saleucami’s moons rise quickly in concert, until they pause. The brilliant orbs appear to rest on either side of J’oh’s stone.

“It only happens one night a year like this. They both have eccentric orbits,” he says. “We only saw it once together. Suu told us about it. She said it was good luck for two lovers to be together while it was happening in their light.”

“Bait, I would love to, but I don’t know if it is right to, in this place.”

“I know. But I don’t think she would begrudge us the luck,” he says, as his hands encircle her. They both scoot down until she lies full against him. She pulls the blanket tighter around them. Together, they watch the stars and the two moons shine.

~=~=~=~=~=

Ahsoka starts awake, later in the night. Her eyes widen as they try to focus in the dim light. A slight figure stands over them. She sees the warm smile under a crooked, broken nose. She starts to wake Bryne. She stops as a feeling of warmth comes over her, as the figure reaches down and touches both she and her lover on their cheeks.

Bryne stirs slightly, but does not wake. She sees the figure’s fingers move through his gray hair.

She feels them on her lek.

When she turns, the figure is gone.

She lays back against Bryne. He stirs again, puts his arm around her, pulling her closer.

Ahsoka does not sleep again, as she thinks of legend.

Of good luck.

Of light in the darkness.


End file.
